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John's Essentials

by com.johnsessentials

convert_video

Video Converter — Convert a video so it PLAYS or IMPORTS where it currently will not: a camera, phone or camcorder recording that your editing software, media player, website or social platform refuses to accept, open or upload. Converts between mp4, mov, webm, mkv, avi, and animated GIF with codec/resolution/bitrate control and TikTok/Reels/Shorts/Twitter/WhatsApp presets. Also converts legacy formats (flv, wmv, 3gp, mpg, vob, ts, m2ts) to mp4. Free tier covers mp4/mov/webm at ≤720p; mkv, avi, gif, 1080p+ and AV1 require Business. [category: convert]

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
toYesmkv, avi and gif need Business. GIF output is palette-optimized and defaults to 480p unless 'resolution' says otherwise.
fileYesMax 500 MB; duration ≤5 min on Free, 30 min on Business. Format is sniffed from bytes; the filename extension is the fallback when sniffing fails.
codecNo'auto' picks the container's default. h265 and av1 need Business; a codec the container can't hold 400s.
resolutionNoDefault 'source' = no scaling. 1080p and 2160p need Business. Scales by height only; aspect ratio preserved.
preset_nameNoBusiness-only. Wins over 'to', 'codec', 'resolution' and 'bitrate_kbps' — every preset forces h264 mp4.
bitrate_kbpsNoGiving it switches rate control to ABR (a size target) and beats 'crf'. Omit for CRF quality mode.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections. Dates show when Glama detected each change.

  1. First observed

TDQS

A4.1/5.0
Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already cover the read-only/destructive profile, and the description adds useful behavioral context: free-tier format/resolution restrictions, AV1 Business gating, and legacy-to-mp4 conversion behavior. It doesn't discuss output destination or original-file preservation, but destructiveHint=false plus the conversion framing makes that omission acceptable.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is front-loaded with the purpose and trigger, then moves to supported formats, presets, legacy coverage, and tier limits. A few words are redundant ('Video Converter—' repeats the name), but every sentence carries distinct, useful information.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Together with the schema, the description covers the main selection and invocation concerns: what triggers the tool, which formats/codecs/resolutions are supported, and which require Business. There is no output schema, so a brief statement about the return value would have made it complete, but the conversion outcome is predictable from the target format.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100% and the parameter descriptions are rich (preset precedence, GIF palette optimization, CRF vs ABR). The tool description only summarizes 'codec/resolution/bitrate control', adding no detail beyond the schema, so the baseline 3 applies.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description opens with a specific trigger—'Convert a video so it PLAYS or IMPORTS where it currently will not'—and names concrete source/target formats, presets, and legacy-format support. This clearly identifies the tool as the compatibility-focused video converter and separates it from the many convert_*/media_* siblings.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

It gives a clear use case: when a player, editor, website, or social platform refuses a recording. It also states free-tier limitations and Business-only formats, implicitly telling an agent when the tool is not usable on a given plan. It does not explicitly name alternatives like media_compress_video or media_trim_video, so it stops short of a 5.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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TDQS

B3.2/5.0
Disambiguation2/5

Multiple tool pairs are near-identical: octopus_mkdir/octopus_make_folder and octopus_move/octopus_move_file are literal duplicates, analyze_hash/generate_hash both compute hashes, convert_word_to_pdf overlaps convert_document, and photo_compress/photo_compress_to_size plus pdf_thumbnails/pdf_to_images have fuzzy boundaries. The descriptions are detailed and cross-reference each other helpfully, but at 144 tools an agent will regularly misselect.

Naming Consistency3/5

The dominant {category}_{verb}_{object} snake_case pattern (pdf_*, photo_*, convert_*, analyze_*, media_*) is largely consistent and predictable. However, outliers like chatwithyourpdf and describe_image break the category-prefix convention, and the octopus namespace mixes bare verbs (read, write, mkdir) with verb_noun forms (make_folder, move_file, search_meta) inconsistently.

Tool Count2/5

144 tools is an extreme count for any MCP server. The broad scope (PDF, photo, video, audio, conversion, analysis, generation, file storage, web, e-sign) justifies some volume, but the count is inflated by batch and inspect variants (pdf_to_excel + batch + inspect), duplicate tools, and overlapping converters. An agent faces an overwhelming selection surface.

Completeness4/5

Per-domain coverage is remarkably deep: PDF spans merge/split/compress/protect/unlock/metadata/OCR/watermark and bidirectional conversion; photo covers editing, format conversion, face handling, OCR, and collage; file storage has full CRUD plus search. Minor gaps exist (no audio transcription, no video metadata editing, no deletion of PDF pages is actually covered via pdf_delete_pages) but the surface has no dead ends for its declared domains.

Resources